We should be trying to make the best of the longest and shortest forms of cricket
Dear Editor,
Be it resolved that cricketers will be encouraged and facilitated in maximizing their income potential.
The above should be the new year`s resolution of all cricket boards. Let us acknowledge the truth that generally speaking, subject to some ethical considerations and idiosyncrasies, that is precisely what we all try to do, either individually, as a family or small group. Cricketers are the only sportsmen who
are routinely described as mercenaries when they accept offers for 5 times more
than they can earn if they are selected to represent their country in the longest version of the game.
There are bilateral series now being played in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, and one just ended in Bangladesh. The IPL does not begin until April and ends in May. Teams should be rushing to winter in the Caribbean in February and March.
When the IPL was launched we could have grasped the opportunity to rationalize scheduling so that the different formats could complement rather than compete with one another. We could have decided to broaden the market by accommodating the new fans who realised that cricket was not required to be always a marathon. It was not necessary to describe the longest format as the “ultimate” and the shortest as “pyjama” cricket or “rubbish”. It was clear that with few exceptions the players who were very good at the longer formats were also very good at the shortest. It was also clear that mainly because of the length of the shorter formats, especially the shortest, and the need to bat in an enterprising manner in those formats larger crowds would be attracted to them. Our attitude was entirely different.
We considered the shortest format to be a threat to the longest and vilified cricketers who took the rational step of participating in events that helped to secure their economic futures. That attitude made us resist the obvious solution of so scheduling tournaments to get the best of both worlds. One country`s cricket (the Caribbean) was virtually ruined by that approach, but every other country suffered in varying degrees.
We must write a new page in the administration of the game by acknowledging the value inherent in each format, change the language for describing them, make adjustments in the rules, and be advocates for rationality.
Yours faithfully, Romain Pitt